Freaky Friday
by peytona05
Summary: Zack and Mr. Moseby must learn to work together.
1. Chapter 1

It was Thursday afternoon and the first day of school. Zack and Cody just walked through the revolving doors of the hotel and were comparing their schedules when they realized that the lobby was buzzing with activity. The New York Yankees had come to Boston to play the Red Sox, and they were staying at the Tipton.

"Dude!" Zack exclaimed as he punched his brother. "Check it out. Let's go get our autograph books!"

Cody carried his bookbag with him, but Zack dropped his in front of the door. The twins ran to the elevator, and as soon as it opened they hurried inside, impatiently pushing the button that would take them to the floor they lived on.

While the boys were upstairs, bellhops continued to carry in bags and suitcases. One had his hands so full that it was impossible for him to see the floor in front of him. As he walked slowly through the door, he tripped over Zack's bookbag. He landed on the floor and watched as the luggage went sailing through the air, knocking a vase off of an end table and sending it to crash on the floor.

Zack and Cody returned to the lobby just in time to hear the bellhop tell Mr. Moseby about his tumble; both men looked at the door and saw the bookbag.

Mr. Moseby turned his gaze to the boys. With a frown on his face, he asked, "By any chance does this bag belong to one of you?"

Zack nodded somewhat sheepishly. "It's mine, Mr. Moseby. I'm sorry."

The hotel manager motioned for the boys to look at the broken vase. "That was an antique. Do you have any idea how old it was?"  
>Cody ventured a guess. "Really, really, really, really old?"<p>

Mr. Moseby gave him a cynical grin. "My, we _are_ a bright one, aren't we?"

Just then the boys' mother joined them in the lobby. She looked at the floor and gasped as she saw the vase. "Mr. Moseby, what happened?"

He looked at Carey, looked at Zack, then looked back at Carey. "Guess."

XxXxX

The next morning, Zack and Cody were in their suite getting ready for school.

"I can't believe Mom grounded me for the whole weekend! I had plans to go to the skate park tomorrow and work on some new tricks."

"Well," Cody said cheerily, "look at it this way. At least you'll be able to get a head start on your homework."

Zack only grimaced at his brother.

XxXxX

"The _entire_ weekend?" Mr. Moseby cried. "But that means he'll be _here_."

Carey tried to calm him down. "I'm not even going to let him out of our suite, Mr. Moseby. From the time he gets home this afternoon until the time he leaves for school Monday morning, that's where he'll be-all the way up on the twenty-third floor, far away from you."

"Oh sure, he'll be far away from me until he figures out a way to drill a hole through every single floor to get down here."

Esteba the bellhop passed by and heard Mr. Moseby's complaint. "Oh, Mr. Moseby, don't be silly. The little blond peoples could never do that; they're not big enough."

He quickly walked away at the sight of Mr. Moseby's scowl.

XxXxX

"You know, I just don't think Mr. Moseby understands me," Zack complained as he fixed a bowl of cereal. "I go to school all day, where I'm _supposed_ to be good. When I come home, I'd like to be able to do stuff without getting into trouble. All Mr. Moseby ever does is complain about how we're 'ruining' his hotel. It's like he doesn't know when to quit."

XxXxX

"Carey, I'm not sure Zack understands just how tough my job really is. Tending to so many guests, trying to keep them all happy, having to answer to for everything that happens-being a hotel manager is really quite hard. Sometimes Zack acts as if the Tipton were his own personal playground, and I can't help but wonder when he's going to grow up."

XxXxX

"Do you know what, Cody? For just one day, I wish he knew what it was like to be me."

XxXxX

"Carey, for just one day, I wish he knew what it was like to be me."

XxXxX

As soon as the words left Zack's mouth, everything around him seemed to momentarily freeze before beginning to spin and swirl. He put his hand out to try and steady himself, but it did nothing to help. He reached up and rubbed his eyes, but when he moved his hands away, he was in the lobby, looking at his mother.

XxXxX

Mr. Moseby finished his sentence, and immediately the lobby's appearance began to change. The colors started to fade, the furniture and decorations began to rearrange themselves, and the edges of his vision blurred. He rapidly blinked his eyes, and when he opened them again, he was in the Martins's suite, looking at Cody.


	2. Chapter 2

"Good heavens, what am I doing here?" Mr. Moseby asked. _That's not my voice; that's Zack's voice._

"You live here," Cody replied, somewhat confused by the question. "We're going to be late for school if you don't hurry up. Finish your cereal, grab your pack, and let's go."

Mr. Moseby was so confused by his new surroundings that he didn't hear Cody's words.

_These aren't my clothes...or my shoes...and this certainly isn't my apartment._ He ran to find a mirror, but he didn't see his reflection. _That's not my face. It's...it's..._

"Zack!" Cody called. "It's time to go-we're going to miss the bus!"

_He thinks I'm Zack...I'm in Zack's body._

XxXxX

"Mom, how did I get down here?" _Wait a minute...that's Mr. Moseby's voice._

Carey blinked, caught off guard. "Did you hear what you just called me? And what do you mean? We've been down here talking for the last five minutes."

But Zack wasn't paying her any attention. He was too caught up in trying to figure out what happened. _First I was upstairs, and now I'm downstairs. I was talking about Mr. Moseby, but now I'm talking to Mom._

He'd begun pacing, and as he passed a framed photograph, he happened to catch a glimpse of himself in the glass. _Hey, that's not my face. It belongs to..._

"Mr. Moseby, are you all right?" Carey asked.

_Mom called me Mr. Moseby...I'm in his body._

He spun around to look at his mother just as Cody came off the elevator, dragging Zack's body by the arm.

Cody stopped in front of Carey. "We'll see you when we get home, Mom." He lowered his voice and pointed with his free hand at what he assumed was his brother. "He's acting weirder than usual, Mom, but don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him at school today."

As Carey moved to kiss the boys goodbye, she stopped when she heard her other son say, "I...I...can't go to school today, Carey. I don't feel quite like myself."

She pointed at Zack's body and told him, "Excuse me, but since when do you call me Carey? And you were fine this morning. Besides, you'd only be able to stay in your room today, because you'd be grounded." Looking at what she thought was her boss, Carey asked, "Can you believe him?"

Zack, in Mr. Moseby's body, cleared his throat and responded, "Yes, well, boys will be boys, of course. Just send him on to school, and whatever is the matter, I'm sure he'll be over it soon enough." _Not too soon, I hope._ "You two run along now, and have fun at school."

XxXxX

Mr. Moseby still wasn't quite sure what had happened, but he knew he didn't like it. Carey thought he was her son and was sending him off to school. And here he was, being forced to leave Zack in charge.

"But you don't know what you're doing, putting him in charge like this. He'll _destroy_ the place. There'll be nothing left when I come back this afternoon."

Carey put her hand on Zack's forehead. "Oh sweetie, you're not making any sense at all, but you don't even have a fever. Mr. Moseby's been in charge for years, and the Tipton has always been just fine. Now, go. I'll see you when you get home."

Mr. Moseby struggled to free Zack's body from Cody's grasp, but the boy was stronger than he looked. He exited the building, stammering and reaching out to his body as he went. "But...b- but...but...but..."

Mr. Moseby sulked for the first few minutes of the bus ride, and Cody finally asked him what was wrong.

Looking at his current look-alike, Mr. Moseby stated, "Cody, you're a bright young lad, and-"

"Lad?" Cody interrupted. What's with you today? You're talking funny, acting weird, trying to get out of going to school-well, actually that's not unusual, but everything else sure is. "What's going on, Zack?"  
>"That's just it. I'm not Zack; I'm Mr. Moseby."<p>

Cody snickered as he slapped his double on the back. "Right, Zack, and I'm the pitcher for the Red Sox. Boy, that's a good one."

Cody's laughter over the situation promptly shut Mr. Moseby up, and as he thought it over, he realized that if he coultn't talk Cody into believing it, he'd just have to find a way to prove it to the boy. When they arrived at school, Mr. Moeby asked Cody to point him in the direction of the front office.

"Why? Have you forgotten the way already? Or are you just saving your teachers the trouble of sending there?"  
>Mr. Moseby answered, "Of course not. I just want to pick up a copy of my schedule."<p>

"You've got one in your bookbag. Oh wait, you're supposed to be Mr. Moseby. You wouldn't know that you were given a copy yesterday."

"Will you just show me to the front office, please? Thank you."

XxXxX

Unlike, Mr. Moseby, Zack was happy with the switch. He still wasn't sure how it happened, but he had decided to make the most of his day home from school, having as much fun as he could for as long as it lasted.

"Hey Esteban!" he called out when the bellhop passed the desk. "You wanna go with me to the skate park?"

The question caused Esteban to stop midstride and give his employer's body a confused look. "You want to go to the skate park? Why? I thought you hated that place."

"I do? I mean...I do...I did. The old me did. But now I love it. Will you come and play with me. _Please_."

By now Zack had come around from behind the desk and had begun tugging on Esteban's arm. Esteban could only stand there and scratch his head with his free hand, feeling very confused.

_What is making Mr. Moseby act so funny? He was okay before._

"Are you all right? I think maybe _you_ have a fever instead of Zack. Wanting to go somewhere you normally hate, tugging on me, _begging_ me to play with you-and all while we're suppose to be working. Yes sir, Mr. Moseby. You're acting very, very silly today."

Zack had let his shoulders drop during Esteban's speech, but he perked back up when he heard Esteban call him Mr. Moseby.

"But I'm not Mr. Moseby. I'm Zack. We switched places. Isn't that _cool_?"

Esteban stared blankly for a moment before beginning to laugh. "Oh that's a good one, Mr. Moseby. You may be acting silly, but you're also _very_ funny." Esteban laughed so hard he began to cry. He wiped the tears away from his eyes and looked at the man he still thought was his boss. "Well, it is time to get back to work. There's no telling when someone will need my help to carry their bags."

Zack watched Esteban walk away, somewhat disappointed that Esteban neither believed him or would play with him. But that didn't stop Zack for long.

_I can still go down to the skate park. I'll just go up and get my board._


	3. Chapter 3

Mr. Moseby walked through the door of the front office and stopped in front of the secretary's desk.

"Excuse me, but can you print off a copy of my class schedule, please?"

The secretary looked up from her computer. Surprised to hear the word "please" being said by the boy in front of her, it took her a moment to respond. "Um...you should have received your schedule yesterday in homeroom. Weren't you here yesterday?"

_That depends on how you look at it_. "It's probably in my bookbag, but the truth is, I'm not sure I want to look for it. There's no telling what may come crawling out of there." Mr. Moseby hurried to add, "Well, you never know what sort of pets Zack...I mean, I...what sort of pets _I_ might be carrying around with me. I wouldn't want to scare you."

_No need to worry the poor woman with more information than she can handle. She deals with children all day long; she shouldn't have to deal with Zack's and my problem as well...however it happened._

Mr. Moseby waited while the secretary looked up Zack's class schedule, and while he waited, he pondered his earlier conversation with Cody. It was clear Cody didn't believe that he was who he said he was, and why should he? Zack was quite the troublemaker and was known to exaggerate the truth. He was also a prankster, so when the truth did come out of his mouth, it naturally sounded like a joke.

Finally, he decided not to try and convince Cody about the swap; instead, he'd focus on getting out of school and getting back into the Tipton.

_There is no way I'm staying here while that little hooligan destroys the hotel. Mr. Tipton would have my job if anything were to happen._

Mr. Moseby walked away just as the lady printed off Zack's schedule. She called after him, "Didn't you want this?"

"Uh...no thank you...I, uh...found his..._my_ schedule!"

The tardy bell rang as Mr. Moseby entered the hallway adjacent to the front office. Turning to leave the building, he was nearly to the door when a voice behind him caught him off guard.

"Cutting classes on the second day of school, eh, Mr. Martin? My office, now!"

XxXxX

Zack's intentions were to quietly sneak into the suite and grab his board before his mom caught him. But when he reached the door, he discovered that it was locked and, being in Mr. Moseby's body, Zack didn't have his key. Not wanting to knock, he was about to decide that was his only option when a thought occurred to him.

_Hey, Mr. Moseby's the hotel manager. Shouldn't he have a duplicat key in case of an emergency?_

Zack hurried back downstairs and soon returned with what he'd been looking for. Quietly opening the door, he glanced around the kitchen and living room to make sure his mom wasn't in there. Not seeing her, Zack went to his room and quietly retrieved his skateboard. He snuck back through the way he'd come, gently shutting the door behind him.

XxXxX

Mr. Moseby was apalled that he'd been called into the principal's office. But he'd gotten lucky when the man had momentarily stepped out of his office through a door that connected to a conference room. Mr. Moseby quickly removed himself from the office and headed outside, only to discover that it had started to rain. Unhappy that he didn't have a slicker, or even an umbrella, he ran as fast as he could to the bus stop, ducked under the awning that covered the bench, and sat down, waiting for the next bus.

XxXxX

Zack was disappointed that the rain had kept him from going to the skatepark. He was about sit down on a couch to sulk when he had another idea.

XxXxX

When Mr. Moseby walked into the hotel lobby, the first thing he noticed was that Esteban was sitting on a couch, reading a magazine and drinking a soda. Looking around, Mr. Moseby realized that Esteban was the only bellhop in sight. All the others were gone.

_Why do I have the feeling that Zack had something to do with this?_

Determined to get to the bottom of things, Mr. Moseby marched over to Esteban.

"Esteban, get back to work."

Without looking away from his magazine, the bellhop replied, "I cannot. I am on break."

"What break? I didn't authorize a break."

"Of course you didn't. Mr. Moseby did."

Impatiently, Mr. Moseby sighed. "I _am_ Mr. Moseby."

Esteban looked up. "You sound just like Mr. Moseby. A little while ago he said that he was you." Esteban also gave an impatient sigh. "All right, I'll play along. I'm sorry, 'Mr. Moseby', but you look like the little blond peoples, and the little blond peoples look like you. I only take orders from the hotel manager, and he told me to take a break. What was I to do?"

Mr. Moseby rolled his eyes. "I'm going to have to talk to Zack. Getting rid of all the bellhops, except one, and giving _him_ a break - that boy is going to ruin my hotel."

Esteban, still very confused by it all, only said, "That's crazy. Even if he wanted to, how could Mr. Moseby ruin the hotel?"

At that moment, Mr. Moseby saw his body come through the lobby on a skateboard. Jumping onto Esteban's lap to avoid being hit, Mr. Moseby couldn't help but scream as he watched Zack go whizzing by.

Esteban tried to calm him down. "Don't worry. He's been doing that for several minutes now, and he's quite good at it."

Mr. Moseby glared at Esteban, who simply smiled, set the small body on the couch, and stood.

"Well, break time is over. I am off."

Esteban walked away, leaving Mr. Moseby to sit angrily on the couch by himself. A few moments passed before he saw his body come to a stop beside the couch. Before Mr. Moseby was able to say a word, Zack asked somewhat mockingly, "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in school, young man?"

Mr. Moseby stood up and pointed a finger at his body. "I'd like to know what you think _you're_ doing, by leaving Esteban here as the only bellhop and giving him a break...skateboarding through the lobby. I don't know how you did it, but I'm sure that somehow this switch was your fault, and I hope you know that I expect you to fix it."

"I didn't do this, Mr. Moseby, so I can't fix something that isn't my fault. Besides, why would I want to, when this is the one time I can do whatever I want?"

Mr. Moseby as he remembered what he'd told Carey earlier that morning. "There's a problem with your plan, Zack. For whatever reason, _you_ are the hotel manager right now. That means that you have to tend to the guests, see to it that everyone on staff is doing their job, and make sure that the hotel continues to run smoothly. You're not going to have time to do whatever you want to do."

"But all of that is...your job."

"No it isn't, not as long as I look like you." Mr. Moseby reached for the skateboard. "It's my turn to do whatever I want."

"Zack Martin, what are you doing out of school?" the pair heard Carey say as she stepped out of the elevator. "I just received a phone call from your principal. Not only did he catch you trying to skip classes, but then you left his office when he stepped out for a moment. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Mr. Moseby looked up at his ersatz mother, pointed at his body, and gave a response he wasn't too sure would work. "I'm here to...check on him?"


	4. Chapter 4

Carey glanced at her employer's body, then looked back down at the person she thought was her son. "First of all, Mr. Moseby is a grown man. He doesn't need you to look after him."

"That's what you think," Mr. Moseby muttered under his breath.

"And second, did you really think you could cut school and that I woudn't find out about it? Now come on, I'm taking you back to school. And leave that skateboard here."

She firmly grasped her son's shoulder and turned his body towards the door. Mr. Moseby looked over the other shoulder and called out, "This isn't over, Zack. We'll talk about it later. But you know what you have to do - you have to think like me!"

XxXxX

Zack watched as his mother left the building with his body.

_Think like Mr. Moseby? What, like being bossy? I can do that._

The problem was, with most of the bellhops gone, only Esteban was left to carry bags up and down the elevator. Zack went in search of some of the kitchen staff to help Esteban when he needed it.

That seemed to work...at least, for a while. As the time grew closer to prepare lunch, Patrick the maitre d' and his head chef came to the lobby, wanting to know where the rest of the waiters and assistant chefs were.

"You're gonna have to do the best you can with what you've got, fellas," Zack told them. "I've got a lot of them helping Esteban."

"But they weren't hired to be be bellhops, Mr. Moseby," Patrick sneered. "Where are the rest of _your_ people?"

Zack was quickly losing patience. "I sent them all home! Look, I'd ask my brother to help-he's a _great_ cook-but he's not here right now. He had to go to school."

The two men exchanged confused glances before unhappily walking away.

XxXxX

Mr. Moseby had tried to explain to Carey what exactly had happened, but she wouldn't hear any of it, She simply didn't want to hear any sort of excuses.

"Zack, I love you, but tis just doesn't make any sense. Why in the world would Mr. Moseby need your help running the hotel, and especially on a school day? With as much as you two disagree, I don't understand why you'd all of a sudden want to start spending so much time with...let's see, what was it you called him last night? 'An old fogey'?"

Mr. Moseby was shocked. "Well, for heaven's sake...How rude."

"Honey, I'm just repeating what you said. Now, I want you to march yourself back into that principal's office and wait for whatever sort of punishment he's decided to give you. I'll see you after school; remember to come straight home to start your grounding."

As Mr. Moseby sat outside the principal's offic, he couldn't help but think about what Carey had said. It was true that he and Zack argued quite a bit; but in all honesty, he had to wonder whether it was only the hotel he was concerned for, or if there was any possibility he was worried about Zack doing a good job.

"What an idea!" Mr. Moseby whispered to himself. "Of course, that's insane. Worried about Zack...ha. Hilarious."

XxXxX

The telephone at the desk was constantly ringing with requests for room service, then with those same people calling again to find out the reason why their requests went unanswered. Many were getting frustrated with Zack over the phone, and came down to talk to him in person.

He found himself telling them the same thing repeatedly. "But you don't understand. We're short on help today, because most of the bellhops are on vacation; some of the kitchen people are filling in, and they don't know what they're doing. But if you'll just wait patiently, we're doing the best we can. Just give me a little time to figure out what to do."

_Mr. Moseby said to think like him. What would he do if he was here? None of this would have happened if I hadn't given those bellhops the day off. I really Mr. Moseby was here; I could sure use his help._

That gave Zack an idea. Practically jumping over the desk, he ran to the night club where his mom was rehearsing.

"Mom, I need you to listen to me and not ask any questions."

"What is with you and Zack today calling me different names?" Carey interrupted.

"Will you just listen? I'm Zack. Somehow how Mr. Moseby and I switched places, and now I'm stuck in his body and he's in mine. Things are going nuts in the lobby, and he's the only one that can fix it. He's down at school, Mom, and I need to go get him. I'm the only one that could explain it right. All I need you to do is sit at the desk and look like you know what you're doing. You're better at it than I am."

Zack didn't wait for his mom to answer. He turned around and quickly left the way he'd come. He almost grabbed his skateboard, but thought better of it.

_There's no way Mr. Moseby would ever be able to ride. He'd get us _both_ killed!_

Zack ran through the revolving doors in the lobby and saw that a bus was just pulling up to the bus stop outside the Tipton. Seeing that the sign on the bus said it was going to the part of town that his school was in, Zack was quick to board.

XxXxX

Carey's head was spinning from the story she'd just heard. _My son in Mr. Moseby's body? But that's impossible...isn't it? Well, whoever it was that was just talking to me, he certainly sounded desperate. I guess while I'm at the desk, I had better call the school and let them know...let them know what? That my son may be on his way to pick up his body?_

XxXxX

Mr. Moseby could hardly believe that he was being called back to the front office.

"What on earth for?" he asked Zack's math teacher. "What have I done now?"

"There's no telling, the man replied. "All I know is that somebody's here to pick you up."

He hefted Zack's bookbag over his shoulder and made his way to the front office. When he walked through the door, Mr. Moseby was surprised to see his body standing there. He was about to scold the boy for not being at the hotel, but one look at his face told Mr. Moseby that nothing was as it should have been.

"What's wrong?" was all he had time to say before Zack grabbed him by the arm and yanked him out the front door.

"I'll explain on the way - we've gotta go!"


	5. Chapter 5

Zack was telling the story so fast that Mr. Moseby was having trouble keeping up. As he tried to follow what the boy was telling him, all he could think was, _Good heavens, what has he gotten us into? How in the world will I ever fix this?_

But for all his trying, Mr. Moseby just couldn't bring himself to be mad at Zack. All the trouble Zack had gotten into at the hotel was Zack's fault, and he'd been quick to admit that. Mr. Moseby had never seen Zack take blame that was rightfully his.

When the bus stopped in front of the Tipton, the pair hurried to get off. They rushed into the lobby, and when Mr. Moseby saw thee mad house that it had been turned into, it was all he could do not to pull all of Zack's hair out.

_The last thing I want to do is to make the boy go through the rest of his life bald, should we ever make it back to our own bodies. _

He looked at his own body after taking a glance at the substitute bellhops and said as calmly as possible, "Even though you were wrong to send the bellhops home, you were right to go looking for other people to fill in." He paused. "But if I'd known before we left school that it was _this_ bad, I would have suggested bringing your brother with us!"

"Do you want me to go back and get him?" Zack asked as he started to turn around.

"No!" Mr. Moseby cried. "We'll make do without him. Now, the first thing I want you to do is to send three chefs and two waiters back to the restaurant to help with lunch. The rest will stay out here and help Esteban. I may need you to do some of that as well, but don't do a thing unless I tell you to."

"What are you going to do?" Zack asked as Mr. Moseby began to walk away.

Not bothering to look over his shoulder, Mr. Moseby responded, "I'll be at the desk, helping your mother with these unhappy guests!"

XxXxX

Carey couldn't help but be surprised as she watched her son's body come behind the desk. His face wore an expression that said he knew exactly what to do and how to handle the situation.

"Carey, I understand that you've already been told what happened to your son and myself, so I won't waste your time or mine by repeating the story. I need your help to get things back under control. All I need you to do right now is to answer the phone. If it's a current guest, tell them that we're short on staff today, but if they don't might waiting, we'll respond to their needs as soon as we can. Write down their name and suite number, as well as a brief description of their request. If it's someone wanting to book a reservation..." Mr. Moseby's voice trailed off as he tried to think of how to explain booking reservations. "Let me talk to them."

Still not entirely sure what to make of the story she'd heard earlier, Carey stood there for a moment. There ws a part of her that just wasn't comprehending how any of this was possible, and she was opening her mouth to ask when she noticed Mr. Moseby's body standing beside her. Apparently he'd been standing there for a few minutes, because he said, "Mom, the phone's ringing-you gotta answer it!"

XxXxX

The day wore and things slowly began to return to normal. As Zack rushed around, doing whatever Mr. Moseby asked him to do, he was able to catch bits and pieces of conversations the hotel manager was having with the guests. Zack was impressed how easily Mr. Moseby handled various problems.

_Man, he may look like a kid, but Mr. Moseby doesn't let that stop him. I'm sure glad he knows what he's doing; he's really good at his job._

Keeping that thought in mind made obeying Mr. Moseby's orders a lot easier.

XxXxX

As Mr. Moseby attempted to soothe the ruffled feathers of his guests, he had to remember that the fact that he looked like a child was the reason for the odd looks he was getting. But he soon realized that most of the strange looks would change to expressions of gratefulness once the guests had been dealt with.

What really impressed him, however, was Zack's willingness to help. Never before had Zack so quickly admitted his mistakes or acted so immediately to do what he was asked. For the first time, even though Zack was still very much a boy inside, Mr. Moseby saw what kind of a man he could be.

XxXxX

As Carey watched the pair in action that day, she had to admit that while she didn't understand how or why, all the evidence seemed to be pointing towared the possibility that both her son and her employer were telling the truth about switching places. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that it was the only explanation for their earlier strange behavior.

_Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad they seem to be getting along better._

Carey smiled to herself, and after a few moments she noticed that the pair was watching her.

"What?" they asked together.

Something about that made Carey laugh. "Nothing," she responded as her laughter subsided. "I, uh...I just needed to smile."


	6. Chapter 6

Zack shrugged his shoulders at his mother's reply before turning his attention to Mr. Moseby. "Things have calmed down a lot. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Mr. Moseby motioned to an empty couch. Once they were seated, Zack blurted out, "Mr. Moseby, I'm really sorry for all the trouble I caused - you have no idea how sorry. And I'm sorry about breaking the vase - leaving my bookbag out, I mean. Is there anyway I can help fix it?"

"The vase? No. Sadly, it's broken beyond repair. But thank you for offering. Zack, I have fussed quite a bit about you and your brother causing trouble, and until today, I have never seen you take responsibility for your actions. I want you to know that I appreciate your willingness to pitch in and help. And now, I also must apologize to you. Earlier today I blamed you for this problem of ours, and I shouldn't have done that. The truth is, I don't know how this happened, but that doesn't give me the right to blame you. I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?"

Zack grinned. "Only if you forgive me."

Mr. Moseby couldn't help but return the smile as he stuck out his hand and said, "It's a deal."

Zack accepted the outstretched hand, and when their hands touched, the world around them began to spin and swirl. A rainbow of colors blended as his vision began to blur. He rapidly blinked his eyes, and when he reopened them, he was once again in his body, and he was looking at Mr. Moseby.

XxXxX

It took Mr. Moseby a moment to realize what had happened. He'd been so focused on watching their handshake that he didn't catch on to the re-switch until he heard Zack say, "Mr. Moseby - I'm me again!"

Looking up from their hands, the hotel manager discovered that he too was looking at a face other than his own.

"Mr. Moseby, how did we do that? How did we switch places?"

He thought back to that morning. The last thing he remembered before finding himself in the Martins' suite was complaining to Carey about Zack's lack of maturity.

_I wonder..._

"Zack, what's the last thing you remember before winding up...as me?"

The boy was quiet a moment before sheepishly looking up at Mr. Moseby. "I was telling Cody how bossy you are, and that I wished you knew what it was like to be me."

Mr. Moseby nodded. "I was telling your mother I wished you knew how hard my job is. Zack, I don't know how, but I do know that today we were given a wonderful opportunity to see how the other lives his life."

"That's for sure," Zack agreed. " I had no idea how tough your job is. Mr. Moseby, I'm really sorry about today. I-"

"Don't give it another thought," Mr. Moseby interrupted. "You've already apologized, and we've got things back under control. There's nothing to worry about or to apologize for."

"Hey Zack!" Cody yelled as he came barging through the revolving door. "I looked for you after school, but I didn't see you. I passed the principal in the hallway, and he said to remind you about staying after school for the next two weeks for trying to cut school."

"Two weeks?" Zack cried as he glared at Mr. Moseby. "You got me detention for _two whole weeks_?"

Mr. Moseby could only shrug. "All right, so there was one more thing to apologize for."

Cody wore a look of confusion as he asked, "Zack, how could Mr. Moseby get you detention, especially when he wasn't there? And why were you trying to ditch school anyway?"

Zack and Mr. Moseby exchanged glances before bursting into laughter. In the midst of it all, Zack was able to tell his brother, "It's a really long story, Cody."

To which Mr. Moseby added, "And you probably wouldn't believe us even if we told you."

The laughter went on, and though the pair would continue to argue and disagree, they never forgot the lesson they'd learned that day, or the understanding of each other that came with it.


End file.
